Citizens lamenting the so-called government “shutdown” and the inability of our leaders to “work together” suggests a yearning for statist collectivist bureaucratic solutions to the mess a statist collectivist bureaucracy created.

Many Americans are oblivious to the fact that the Constitution was the most significant consequential factor in the creation and sustenance of a free society that produced the highest standard of living on the planet.

In the name of “social justice” and “fairness,” our rulers have re-defined and expanded the role of the government beyond the parameters codified in the Constitution and diluted its authority.

For the first 100 years of America’s existence, the government was considerably less intrusive in our lives and economy and the results are a matter of record. After 100 years of “working together,” we are over $17 trillion in debt, ten million workers are out of the labor force, food stamp enrollment is at a record high, household income is down 8 percent and Obamacare, so far, is an epic disaster. These results are also a matter of record.

If we are going to preserve our constitutional republic, we must strive for intellectual honesty, consider and debate facts and not spew ad hominum attacks. If our rulers persist in “double speak” and denial, exhorting them to “work together” is akin to resurrecting Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter’s party.